US to send Abrams tanks from Pentagon’s stocks to Ukraine
The United States will send Abrams tanks from the Pentagon's stocks to ensure fast transfer to Ukraine.
Washington wants to speed up the supply of Abrams to Ukraine, so it will provide outdated models, US Defense Minister Lloyd Austin says.
The Pentagon said that it would take a year to provide the M1A2 modification tanks. And the M1A1 of the Armed Forces of Ukraine can be received by the fall.
This week it became known that the United States will transfer 30 Abrams tanks in the older M1A1 modification to Kyiv, and not the promised M1A2. Washington explained that this is necessary to speed up deliveries.
"We take tanks from warehouses, convert them to make them suitable for export. So this comes from stock, and not as part of a new purchase"Austin emphasized.
In January the Pentagon announced to send 31 M1A2 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, which will be built from scratch. This process can take at least a year, if not more.
On Tuesday, March 21, a high-ranking representative of the Pentagon, General Pat Ryder, said that the transition to sending already repaired hulls equipped with modern weapons systems will allow equipment to get to the battlefield faster.
He explained that since the initial announcement, the US has been committed to "exploring options for the fastest possible delivery of armored vehicles."
Ryder added that after further analysis, the Pentagon, in consultation with Ukraine, decided that sending the M1A1 model "will allow us to significantly accelerate the delivery time and deliver this important equipment to Ukraine by the fall of this year."
The general noted that the M1A1 Abrams will have "very similar capabilities" to the M1A2, including improved armor, a 120mm gun and a large-caliber 50-caliber machine gun.
The Pentagon, in turn, indicated that the first training of the soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the control of Abrams tanks could begin within a few weeks. The Pentagon is expected to complete the training plan in weeks, not months.
